You found out about the filming of The Teacher before its production started. How did your cooperation with Jan Hřebejk actually begin?
Ironically enough, I learned that Mr Hřebejk would be making this film completely by accident from an interview in a Czech magazine. I think he was saying that he wanted to cast Mrs. Šafránková, but she was playing a teacher in another film at the time, so he was visiting regional theatres trying to find another actress. Back then I thought that I might have a chance if there were a round of castings, but that Slovakia probably wasn’t likely… then six months later the co-producer of the film, Zuzana Mistríková, told me in passing that she might have an audition planned for me, and I gave thanks “on high” for looking out for me.

The issue of manipulation, which is central to the story, remains current in every period regardless of the political situation. What was it like to play this controversial character?
No doubt about that, manipulation is an ugly thing and you see it everywhere. It seems normal at first glance, and we’re all slowly getting used to it. The screenplay is excellent and the teacher was written in a way that I could work with; most importantly, I was looking forward to playing what is essentially the villain; I haven’t played many of those. What I liked about the screenplay and the character was that it wasn’t clear whether this was a comedy or a drama. I really enjoyed that and wanted to try and balance between those two extremes. It wasn’t very hard to do, because the screenplay was good and we were enjoying ourselves.

The teacher manipulates parents through her pupils, who are also important characters in the film. What was it like acting alongside so many child “colleagues”? Are children good acting partners?
The children were selected really well, not least because they resemble their film parents. We also had Mr Labuda’s grandson, and he was really good. There was one longer scene with the full class that we had to get right in one take. I was slightly worried about that one, because by the second and third take, the children are already a bit bored.

Have you worked with any of your adult colleagues from The Teacher before, either in film or in theatre? Does having such previous experience help?
Yes, I knew most of the actors very well. Csongor Kassai and I play in a touring theatre performance together, Romeo and Juliet Thirty Years Later. Of my Czech colleagues, for example, I did two theatre shows with Martin Havelka at the City Theatre in Brno. And there’s of course Peter Bebjak, who directed the TV show Odsúdené where I played the main role. We had a great group of people. In fact, we had three directors on set – there was also Martin Šulík who played the janitor, which was delightful.

This is your first collaboration with Jan Hřebejk, one of the most prominent Czech directors. What was unique about working with him? Did he give you any freedom in choosing how to portray the teacher?
It was one of the most pleasant collaborations of my career. I feel that Mr Hřebejk is very careful when selecting his actors during casting, which means he can give them more freedom on the set. The screenplay was written so well that there wasn’t much to discuss anyway. I felt his confidence in me and it seemed that he was enjoying himself. Working with him was a very pleasant experience and I’m grateful for the opportunity.

Source: official film´s press kit

published:
updated: 01.07.2016